okay, maybe really crazy. but even though we may be crazy, this trip will shape my understanding of society in america, and ideally forecast the next chapter of my life. i hope to deepen my connection to the natural world and appreciation for open spaces and preserved/protected land. i also plan to learn as much as i can about agriculture and organic farming in our country through visiting organic farms through a program called "WWOOF: World-Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms". it's basically a way to connect to organic farmers and farms across the country and world, and set up short-term or long-term stays with those farmers in order to learn what they do and provide volunteer work in exchange for free housing and food.
you pay a fee of $30 for a year to become a WWOOF member in the region/country of your choice, and have access to a search for farmers by state or area. the idea is that you contact a farmer, have a conversation over the phone or email, and decide on a length of stay and project that you would be helping with at their farm (or garden, site, center, etc). we will be only doing a few short-stays on farms in Washington, Oregon and California as there are many national parks, cities and places to visit that we want to fit into this trip. i'm excited for these visits and portion of the trip, and i may decide to work on a farm for a whole season after the trip if it seems right for me to do. i don't really know anything about how to farm, except that it is extremely difficult and takes a lot of time and patience. i know that small organic farmers in our country are consistently struggling to compete in an unfair and unequal market for their produce. i want to understand why a vision of locally-grown, healthy, and safe food for everyone is not a reality right now. i want to find out how pieces of this vision it can be put into practice. i have some big dreams for this trip, and how it will help me decide what programs i should apply to for a master's degree (and potentially doctorate) and what my next steps will be.
i also can't wait to have FUN and visit people that live far away, many whom i haven't seen in months, or years. we plan on stopping in major cities along the way and taking time out to explore and get to know different places where friends and family live. i'm especially psyched for chicago, seattle, portland, san francisco, LA/pasadena, san diego, santa fe/taos, and new orleans! i've only been in chicago for a few hours, and visited my aunt in new mexico during a trip that i can't remember much from except that it was hot and i got a beaded piece of jewelry of some sort.
finally, the biggest part of our northern route and time spent out west will be at national parks. we are visiting or camping in more than 10 parks - and will be spending a good amount of time in each of them. the big national park systems that i can't wait for are: yellowstone, glacier, olympic, redwoods, yosemite, and grand canyon. i'm craving the hiking, clean air, beauty of nature...it's going to be incredible. i've been to a few national parks during that same family trip that took me through new mex, but again - i don't remember them all that clearly. we plan to fully enjoy each park, and try not rush our time at each one.
i will do my best to post and update with pictures as often as i can, and kevin will be posting to the blog as well during the trip - so we shall hopefully have an awesome chronicle of our adventures!
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